An Epic Search for Truth

January 11, 2010

A little off topic, but not too far, as this is all relevant to the foundations of computing. I just finished reading Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth, a graphic novel on the quest for the foundations of maths. While Russell is the central character, all the usual suspects appear including Frege, Godel and Wittgenstein. The novel explains how Godel’s Theorem ended the quest in failure. But far from total failure, since the work of Russell, Godel and Hilbert provided the platform for Turing and Von Neumann, the creators of computing as we know it today. Toward the end it’s hinted that the authors may produce a sequel focusing on Turing, Von Neumann and computing. I hope they do, since they’ve made some very difficult material very accessible. Strongly recommended…